The rationale behind the informed consent doctrine

Court cases and state statutes set forth a physician's responsibilities for providing patients with information about the nature of their illnesses and the risks and alternatives of proposed diagnostic or treatment procedures. Exceptions are made when a particular patient is not competent to participate in the informed consent interchange, when a medical emergency exists, when informing the patient would be harmful, or when the patient expresses a desire not to be informed. Informed consent not only protects an individual's freedom to make health care decisions but, according to empirical studies, the provision of information can provide a physical and psychological benefit to the patient.